Haines insights

Here in Aotearoa, we’re quietly doing something impressive. Having recently ‘sharpened our tools’ by gaining the world’s number one employer brand leadership certification (from Employer Branding College) Ben Tinker and Dan Phillips have been reflecting on where the global EB market is headed… and where we sit on that curve. The good news? We’re not just keeping pace - we’re punching above our weight. The global compass is shifting We had a great chance to step to the side,

Different generations engage with recruitment content in distinct ways. Gen Z seeks purpose and identity, Millennials want life-aligned roles, and Gen X/Boomers value structure and recognition. Recognising these differences allows TA teams to design campaigns that resonate with each audience. As you adopt a strategic enabler mindset, understanding generational differences becomes crucial in shaping recruitment campaigns. We’re in the most diverse workforce New Zealand has ev

Traditional recruitment metrics like time-to-hire and source-of-hire tell us what happened, but not why. To drive real business value, TA teams need to move from reporting to insight: understanding candidate behaviour, predicting outcomes, and linking hiring to commercial impact. For years, recruitment analytics has largely focused on metrics that are easy to collect and quick to report: time-to-hire, source of hire, number of applications. They give us a picture of what hap

TL;DR: Great recruitment campaigns aren’t built and forgotten. They’re launched fast, tested in real time, and refined with data and feedback. Marketers call it a growth loop, recruiters should live by it too.  Bringing a growth mindset to talent campaigns  In Sessions 1 and 2, we reframed recruitment through a marketing lens and explored how to invest like a brand team. Now, it’s time to make it move.  Because strategy without execution? That’s just theory.  Recruitment

TL;DR: Most recruitment budgets focus on short-term conversion tactics like job ads. But lasting results come from investing across the full funnel, especially in brand building and consideration. Treat recruitment like brand marketing: attribute influence, not just clicks.  Positioning recruitment marketing as an investment  In Part One, we mapped the marketing funnel to the candidate journey. Now let’s look at how budgets align to each stage and why most TA spend is stack

TD:LR: No employer brand? That silence is costing you. Without clear, consistent signals, great candidates scroll past, drop off, or choose competitors. Brand isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a performance multiplier. It builds trust, fuels long-term growth, and makes every job ad work harder. We’ve talked about crafting better ads. About winning attention. About where to show up, and how. But even the best-placed ad can’t fix what isn’t there. Because when you don’t actively sha

TL;DR: You’ve got three seconds to hook someone, make it count. Grab attention with clear, relevant messaging and strong visuals. Then back it up with a smart omnichannel strategy that meets candidates where they are, from TikTok to ZEIL. Consistency and clarity across every touchpoint turn interest into action. Now that you’ve written a great job ad, the next thing to understand is that In today’s digital world, you have roughly three seconds to capture someone’s interest b

TL;DR: Most job ads fail because they’re generic and disconnected from brand and culture. Today’s candidates want more than duties, they want purpose, flexibility, and growth. Great ads tell a story, reflect real culture, and connect on a human level. But even the best ad needs a strong employer brand behind it to truly work. We’ve all seen them: copy-paste job ads listing duties, bullet points, and the promise of a “competitive salary.” In a market where it's easier than ev

Ever post a role and get 200 applications… but next to none that are actually a fit? A strong go-to-market approach isn’t about attracting more candidates; it’s about attracting the right ones. It gives people enough insight, context and relevancy to opt in or out, saving your team time and creating a better experience for everyone. At Haines, the art and science of conveying the most enticing, relevant message to candidates – in the right place/s, at the right time – is ha

Across Aotearoa, the Talent Acquisition landscape is incredibly varied. Some organisations are just starting to build out their functions, while others are moving at pace, innovating, and delivering real value through talent. Through our recent roundtable series, we heard from talent leaders who are making a genuine impact, regardless of their team size or structure. A few common threads emerged: Curiosity and courage: Talking AND doing. Leaning into and embracing the unfam

When the market slows down, many assume it’s time to hit pause on employer branding efforts. But here's the truth: in a flat market, how you show up matters just as much. Your EVP (employer value proposition) isn’t just a glossy statement; it’s the lens through which candidates assess whether your business is worth exploring. While many organisations are currently getting hit with high volumes of applications, it’s worth asking: Who are these candidates? What is their exper

By Ben Tinker Change in the world of work is happening all around us, sometimes by necessity, sometimes by design, and often in ways that feel entirely organic. The traditional 8:30 to 5:00 workday, a relic of the industrial age,gave way to something fundamentally new. As we all know (oh, how we know) we’re moving into an AI age. And while we haven’t fully arrived at that future, we’re moving rapidly toward it. Because of this and because of where we are in the economic cycl